Five bills registered in the Sudurpashchim Provincial Assembly have been pending as the assembly has not been able to convene for a long time. After the fire and vandalism that damaged the Provincial Assembly building during the Gen-z protest on September 9, the assembly has not been functional, preventing any deliberation on the registered bills.
Tulsi Devkota, Chairperson of the Special Rights Committee, stated that even though the committees have held meetings and discussed the bills, they have not been deliberated upon in the Provincial Assembly. The bill to amend the Dalit Empowerment Act, 2021, could not be amended due to the assembly not convening, which has caused issues in its implementation.
Speaker of the Provincial Assembly, Bhim Bahadur Bhandari, stated that there is no place to hold meetings after the Provincial Assembly building, the Secretariat, offices of subject committees, and offices of parliamentary parties were damaged by vandalism and arson during the Gen-z protest. He said that important work has been stalled as the Provincial Assembly has not been able to meet for a long time. Additionally, the repairs and installation of equipment in the buildings damaged by vandalism and arson is currently ongoing. The assembly will resume its operations as soon as the repair work, furniture setup, and equipment installation are completed.
Dev Bahadur Bogati, Secretary of the Provincial Assembly, stated that several bills are pending discussion due to the Assembly not being functional. These include the bill on the management of pesticides, the bill to amend the Dalit Empowerment Act, 2021, the bill on the protection and development of the Badghar and Bhalmansa traditions in Sudurpashchim Province, the bill concerning Tikapur Science and Technology University, and bills to amend certain industry- and forestry-related acts.